


Day 25: Promises

by thebright1



Series: An Ineffable Plan: A Canon Compliant Love Story [25]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: 6000 Years of Pining (Good Omens), 6000 Years of Slow Burn (Good Omens), Angel Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale and Crowley Through The Ages (Good Omens), Demon Death, Ineffable Valentines 2020 (Good Omens), M/M, Ze/Zir Pronouns for Beelzebub (Good Omens), Ze/Zir Pronouns for Michael
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:52:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22901965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebright1/pseuds/thebright1
Summary: Ze holds up a hand for silence and continues. “You were found in the presence of an angel of the Lord, in direct violation of the demon code. Do you have anything to say before judgement is passed?”
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Series: An Ineffable Plan: A Canon Compliant Love Story [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1620406
Comments: 11
Kudos: 111





	Day 25: Promises

**Author's Note:**

> All of the stories in this series are linked together, so if you want a full picture of what exactly is going on, please start with [ Day 1: Chocolate](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22520329). 
> 
> All the works in this series are also posted as a chaptered work for easier reading/downloading: [ An Ineffable Plan](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23081191/chapters/55213303)
> 
> This story has been written for the Ineffable Valentines 2020 Challenge on Tumblr.

BEFORE

When his wings were white, he went to Mother and showed Her the stars he’d hung. 

_ I organized them so they look like the animals you’re making. Look, this one is a bear. And this one is a scorpion. _

_ You have done well, _ Mother said. 

_ What will you do with the animals?  _

_ I will put them on Earth, _ Mother said. 

He’d seen blueprints of Earth.  _ Not in the sky with the stars?  _

_ No, not in the sky, _ Mother said. 

_ But why?  _

Mother didn't answer that. Mother never answered that. 

He asked about the Earth. He asked about the stars. He asked about the humans. He asked about food. He asked about souls. He asked about plants. Mother would answer many things. But Mother would never answer why. 

Her silence made him sad. Her silence made him frustrated. Her silence made him angry. 

Mother said,  _ I can’t explain it to you.  _

_ But why? _

He wasn’t the only one Mother didn’t answer. But he was one of the ones who kept asking. 

Soon Mother stopped answering the How’s in addition to the Why’s. Then she stopped answering the When’s, the Who’s, the What’s, and the Where’s. 

_ I can’t tell you. I can’t explain it to you. I can’t show you.  _

Gabriel and Michael filled the void in her absence. They built the Metatron. They held meetings. They handed out rules, lists, regulations. 

He didn’t have to wonder where to hang the stars. Michael would tell him. He didn’t have to ask why he did what he did. The answer was always the same:  _ because. _

He wasn’t the only one who missed Mother. He wasn’t the only one who kept asking Why. He wasn’t the only one who felt imprisoned. 

_ I’ve got a plan,  _ Lucifer said.  _ It will get us answers and it will work, I promise.  _

It didn’t work. It turns out angels can break promises. 

* * *

1 BCE

Crawly receives the summons to Hell and hopes he’ll be back in time to meet Aziraphale for drinks. He’s been looking forward to it for quite a while. 

Satan has summoned everyone to watch the trial. Crawly stands in the back, crowded in with the rest of the demons who elbow him and smear dirt on his robes and skin. No seats or personal space in Hell and no showers, either, not that anyone would take one. He doesn’t understand why everyone who works down here seems to revel in the grime. Not going to win any human souls by making a mess. It’s also become fashionable in Hell to also wear an animal on your head. Crawly doesn’t understand this and doesn’t really want to. He just wants to get back to Earth. The smell is much better. 

Beelzebub stands in front of the crowd. Ze raises a hand and everyone goes still and quiet. “Bring in the prisoner!” ze calls. 

Two demons bring a third up between them, and oh. . . Crowley recognizes that demon. Although since he last saw her she has been taken in by fashion and wears a very large fish on her head. She’s very tall, with long black hair. She is wearing some kind of brown tunic that looks like it’s made from animal hides. She and Crawly had shared a lift topside once. She told him all about her plans to teach the Chinese to worship their ancestors instead of God. She had been confident then. She looks bedraggled and nervous now. 

“Axiemoine, you are accused of consorting with the enemy!” ze shouts. 

The demons around him all begin to yell and curse. Some of them make wretching noises. Crawly schools his face. 

Ze holds up a hand for silence and continues. “You were found in the presence of an angel of the Lord, in direct violation of the demon code. Do you have anything to say before judgement is passed?” 

Axiemoine lifts her head up. “I-- I was -- I was tempting--” she stammers. 

Beelzebub looks bored. “You were begging for forgiveness. You were begging to be let back into Heaven.”

The demons hiss and boo. Some of them scream obscenities. 

“I wasn’t! “ Axiemoine shrieks.

“Bring in her accuser!” Ze shouts. 

Someone steps on Crawly’s robe. He hears the fabric tear and curses under his breath. Then he sees who the accuser is and he really curses. 

The archangel Michael is approaching the dais. She carries a small vase of holy water. She is smiling. 

“You!” Axiemoine shouts. “How-- how could you--” . 

Beelzebub waves a hand and a gag appears in Axiemoine’s mouth. Ze yawns. “Angel, please testify,” ze says. 

Michael smiles. “I would be happy to.”

“No one cares what makes you happy,” Beelzebub retorts. “Just get on with it already so we can get this overwith.” 

Michael looks put out. “I was contacted during a mission on Earth by the demon Axiemoine. When I met with her, she asked me to arrange for forgiveness and for her to be allowed back into God’s graces.” Ze smirks. “As if we would take one of you back.” 

Beelzebub nods. “Yes, good, that’s enough. Axiemoine, you are hereby sentenced to death by holy water.” 

A hushed murmur runs through the crowd. The demons around Crawly shift anxiously. A number of the animals on their heads let loose their bowels. Crawly wrinkles his nose. Who’s stupid idea was this fad anyway? 

He doesn’t have much time to ponder. The two demons bring Axiemoine center stage. Michael shrugs, lifts the vase up, and then pours water directly over Axiemoine’s head. Axiemoine melts into a black puddle of goo. The demons holding her begin screaming because the water has spilled and they are also melting into puddles. Panic ensues. The demons around Crawly begin pushing each other in a bid to get as far away as possible. Crawly can’t believe what he’s just seen. An archangel, in Hell, punishing a demon for asking for forgiveness? 

Michael smiles and looks at Beelzebub. “Is there anything else you need?” 

* * *

Topside, Crawly goes straight to Aziraphale’s room. He promises himself this will be the last time. He repeats what he’s going to say.  _ This is the last time, angel. We can’t see each other anymore. You’d better remove whatever this link is we have. _ But he’s going to do it gently. He  _ has _ to do it gently. He can’t tell Aziraphale about what he’s seen, he can’t imagine trying to tell him. He doesn’t think Aziraphale would believe him- at least not the part about Michael. 

Aziraphale opens the door and wraps his arms around Crawly like he’s the most precious and dear thing in all the universe. All of Crawly’s carefully chosen words die in his throat.  _ Fuck.  _

Demons break promises all the time. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for all the comments and kudos!


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